We have a dormitory project at a US Naval Installation in Djibouti, Africa. Specifically - many many miles and miles, where the ground is basically dirt and rocks supporting no life - no vegetation, wildlife, water, etc.
We received the following design review comment:
"1. The form does not indicate that the project is located outside of the U.S., and therefore, no documentation has been provided confirming that local equivalents have been used and are equivalent to the referenced standards. Note that additional information is required for international projects to demonstrate credit compliance. Provide documentation demonstrating that an analysis between the local code(s) and the referenced US standard(s) has been completed to confirm that the local codes are at least as stringent (in all respects) as the standards referenced for this credit. Revise the form to indicate that the project is located outside the U.S. and using a local equivalent standard."
Are we ineligible for this credit if there are NO equivalent local standards?
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
May 19, 2015 - 9:13 pm
Version 5.0 of the LEEDonline SSc1 form offers some guidance. Projects outside the US that do NOT have local equivalents can use the US definitions for Prime Farmland and Wetlands. These designations are based on the site’s soil quality and climate and the accessibility to or presence of water. You could support your claim easily based on historical meteorological data.
If you used the Version 5.0 form, you should have answered “No” to the question “Is the project located outside the U.S. and using a local equivalent?” under both of these criteria.
For the floodplain designation, you could base your claim on a hydrologist’s report. The Global ACP Guide offers an example. Hydrologists would base their findings on historical rainfall data. This should be easy in an arid region if it is not subject to seasonal flash floods.
The species habitat designation is trickier. The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) only designates species & habitats inside the US, so you would answer “Yes” to the “local equivalent” question on the SSc1 form. If your jurisdiction does not have an agency like USFWS, you may have to rely on designations developed by international wildlife organizations. If you use one of these organizations’ threatened & endangered species standards, it looks as though the LEED reviewers would require an analysis comparing the alternate standard to that of the USFWS. For that, you might have to contact the organization for help.
Thus, if you can come up with floodplain & habitat documentation, you should be able to overcome the absence of local standards.